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Ed and Lorraine Warren
Ed and Lorraine Warren are American paranormal investigators and authors associated with prominent cases of hauntings. Background Edward Warren Miney (September 7, 1926 – August 23, 2006) was a noted demonologist, author, lecturer, World War II US Navy veteran, and former police officer. Lorraine Warren, née Lorraine Rita Moran (January 31, 1927 – ), his wife, is a professed clairvoyant and a light trance medium who worked closely with her husband. The Warrens founded the New England Society for Psychic Research in 1952 and later opened the Occult Museum. They are the authors of numerous books about the paranormal and their own private investigations into various hauntings. They claimed to have investigated over 10,000 hauntings during their career. The Warrens were among the very first investigators in the controversial Amityville haunting. The Warrens were responsible for training several current paranormal investigating demonologists including Dave Considine, Lou Gentile, and their nephew John Zaffis. Notable Warren investigations Amityville The Warrens are well known for their involvement in the Amityville Horror case in which New York couple George and Kathy Lutz claimed that their house was haunted by a violent, demonic presence so intense that it eventually drove them out of their home. "The Amityville Horror Conspiracy" authors Stephen and Roxanne Kaplan characterized the case as a "hoax". Lorraine Warren told a reporter for The Express-Times newspaper that the Amityville Horror was not a hoax. The reported haunting was the basis for the 1977 book The Amityville Horror and 1979 and 2005 movies of the same name. Demon murder In 1981, Arne Johnson was accused of killing his landlord, Alan Bono. Ed and Lorraine Warren had been called prior to the killing to deal with the alleged demonic possession of Mr. Johnson's fiancee's younger brother. The Warrens subsequently claimed that Mr. Johnson was also possessed. At trial, Mr. Johnson attempted to plead Not Guilty by Reason of Demonic Possession. The case was described in a book, The Devil in Connecticut by Gerald Brittle (ISBN 0-553-23714-4). Werewolf The Warrens claim to have exorcised a "werewolf demon" in 1983. The subject of the case, Bill Ramsey, had bitten several people, believing himself to be a wolf. The events surrounding this case were later described in a 1991 book written by the Warrens: Werewolf: A True Story of Demonic Possession (ISBN 0-312-92864-5). Smurl family Pennsylvania residents Jack and Janet Smurl reported their home was disturbed by various supernatural phenomena, including sounds, smells and apparitions. The Warrens became involved and claimed that the Smurl home was occupied by three spirits and also a demon that Jack and Janet Smurl alleged they were sexually assaulted by. Criticisms The Warrens' most famous case, the Amityville Horror, has been refuted by eyewitnesses, investigations and forensic evidence. Lawyer William Weber said that he, Jay Anson and the occupants invented the horror story "over many bottles of wine." Horror author Ray Garton who wrote an account of the alleged haunting of the Snedeker family in Southington, Connecticut later repudiated his book, saying, “The family involved, which was going through some serious problems like alcoholism and drug addiction, could not keep their story straight, and I became very frustrated; it’s hard writing a non-fiction book when all the people involved are telling you different stories”. New England Society for Psychic Research The New England Society for Psychic Research was founded in 1952. According to the Warrens, the N.E.S.P.R. utilizes a variety of individuals, including medical doctors, researchers, police officers, nurses, college students and members of the clergy. Media appearances * Lorraine was featured in several episodes of the Discovery series A Haunting, in which she discusses some of the cases the pair worked on as paranormal investigators. * She has also appeared on "Paranormal State" where she acted as a guest investigator. * They both appeared on Scariest places on Earth. * Lorraine was featured on an episode of a show called "MTV's Fear" Books Ed and Lorraine Warren wrote or featured in a number of non-fiction books, including: *''The Amityville Horror, a True Story'' by Jay Anson (Prentice Hall, 1977) *''The Demonologist: The Extraordinary Career of Ed and Lorraine Warren'' by Gerald Brittle (Berkley Books, 1980) *''The Devil in Connecticut'' by Gerald Brittle (Bantam Books, 1983) ISBN 0-553-23714-4 *''The Haunted: The True Story of One Family's Nightmare'' by Robert Curran with Jack Smurl and Janet Smurl and Ed and Lorraine Warren (St. Martin's Press, 1988) ISBN 0-312-01440-6 *''Ghost Hunters: True Stories From the World's Most Famous Demonologists'' by Ed Warren (St. Martin's Press, 1989) ISBN 0-312-03353-2 *''Satan's Harvest'' by Michael Lasalandra and Mark Merenda with Maurice and Nancy Theriault and Ed and Lorraine Warren (Dell, 1990) ISBN 0-440-20589-1 *''Werewolf: A True Story of Demonic Possession'' by Ed Warren (St. Martin's Press, 1991) ISBN 0-312-06493-4 *''Graveyard: True Hauntings from an Old New England Cemetery'' by Ed Warren (St Martins Press, 1992) ISBN 0-312-08202-9 *''In A Dark Place: The Story of a True Haunting'' by Ray Garton (Villard, 1992) ISBN 0-394-58902-5 Film A biopic has been confirmed to be in the works, directed by James Wan. References External links *Official Website *Article Detailing the Recent Danbury Court Case *Hunting the Ghost Hunters: An Investigation of Ed and Lorraine Warren - Perry DeAngelis and Steven Novella *The Demonologist Page on the Warrens - Contains brief biographical information *Internet Movie Database - Entry for Ed Warren *JREF reprint of Ray Garton letter - Ray Garton Letter refuting the Warrens de:Ed Warren es:Ed y Lorraine Warren it:Edward Warren Miney ro:Ed și Lorraine Warren Category:1926 births Category:1927 births Category:2006 deaths Category:American Roman Catholics Category:Living people Category:American military personnel of World War II Category:Paranormal investigators Category:People from Connecticut Category:Clairvoyants